Quote:
Originally Posted by tomcatt51
Your call. Think you need to run any "pick up" ammo? Like there's going to be random ammo on the ground you're going to use? All it needs to do is run with what's in your gun or in your pocket.
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"Pick up" ammo? Really? Not something I ever anticipated or considered (unless it might be from another cop's belt in an extreme situation when I was working).
I just want my guns to run with whatever factory ammunition I may be using at the time, and I don't always have the same ammunition at hand. Thus, I want to make sure any primer sensitivity or QC issues are mitigated as much as possible by keeping the springs at normal tension.
I don't have a single consistent brand, bullet weight or production lot of defensive ammunition I run in my various J's (or other wheelguns, for that matter).
Sure, while I have some loads I generally prefer more than others, given a choice, sometimes availability determines my choice more than personal preference. Sometimes it's been available as issued ammo, but most of the time it's been purchased over the counter at my own expense (as authorized).
Sometimes the Speer 135gr +P GDHP load has been hard to get over the counter, so to speak, and using it in quantities sufficient for training & practice has been problematic (although I've learned my agency is now able to order it through a vendor and we should be getting some later this year).
When we used to order cases of the Rem 158gr LHP +P load, or the similar Win load (38SPD), I was able to use them quite a bit. Now I have limited quantities of each remaining. They aren't readily found on the shelves locally, so I'd have to order them through the nearest Rem or Win LE distributor to get some sort of deal, cost-wise.
Now that a local Win LE distributor can get the 20/rd (commercial) or 50/rd (LE) boxes of the new 130gr +P PDX1, I may place an order for a case of it and start using it more often, doing some further test firing in my various J's, looking for case tolerance issues, QC, bullet pull, etc. I had 1 round of it out of a 20/rd box have a case that was distorted to the point that it wouldn't chamber all the way in a cylinder. The distortion was subtle, but enough to cause a problem when I was trying to load it.
I've used the older Speer 125gr +P GDHP load, the Rem 125gr +P GS load and a couple of the Federal loads when availability has made them the only viable options, too. (The Rem GS loads are becoming pretty expensive OTC, aren't they?)
My ammo preferences can vary with production lots, too.
If my only concern was perhaps losing points in a competition, or experiencing a stoppage on a target/leisure shooting range, I'd not be as concerned about spring weight and power.